A WOMAN struggling with alcohol dependency died of alcohol poisoning after a heavy drinking session, an inquest heard.

Linda Atkinson, of Alexandra Road in Middlewich, was found dead in the bath by her husband Reg after he arrived home from work on December 23.

At Crewe’s Municipal Buildings on Monday, Dr Janet Napier, deputy coroner for Cheshire, was told how the 51-year-old was seen at 4.15pm by neighbour Mary Robson, staggering into her house with cuts and bruises all over her face.

Mrs Robson said: “She was trying to get past the bin. She was drunk as a monkey and her face was a bloody mess.”

In a witness statement, resident Stephen Lewis said he had found Mrs Atkinson in a nearby alleyway at around 1pm slumped on the floor against a wall with a large bottle of cider in her bag. He described the smell of alcohol as “overwhelming” and making him “feel a bit sick”.

Mr Atkinson, a warehouse operative, said his wife had struggled with alcohol for years following her daughter’s death but believed she was getting it under control.

But he said a succession of hospital appointments for himself got her worried, and she began drinking heavily again.

A post-mortem examination confirmed that Mrs Atkinson died of alcohol toxicity. The toxicology report measured 394mg of alcohol per 100ml of her blood.